On politics in the Golden State

Proposition 38 campaign pushes taxes, blasts Sacramento

The Proposition 38 campaign released its first statewide television advertisement Monday, aiming to gain ground in the polls by playing to voters' distrust of Sacramento politicians.

The animated advertisement says the initiative would send more money to schools and "guarantees the politicians can’t touch it." Proposition 38, which is being pushed by lawyer Molly Munger, would increase education spending by hiking income taxes on most residents.

The 30-second spot could also ratchet up the tension as Gov. Jerry Brown pushes his own tax initiative, Proposition 30. Although the advertisement doesn't mention Brown or his campaign, it obliquely refers to politicians who "say unless we send more tax dollars to Sacramento, they’ll cut education again."

Brown's plan would increase the sales tax and levies on the state's wealthiest to pump more money into the budget. He has threatened to cut almost $6 billion from the budget, mostly from public schools, if Proposition 30 doesn't pass.

Democrats fear Proposition 38 will undermine support for Proposition 30, triggering the spending cuts, and an opposition committee called the new advertisement misleading.

“What the ad for Proposition 38 doesn’t say is that it makes California’s education funding problem much worse before it gets better,” said Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Assn., in a statement.